Nintendo will price the Wii U aggressively at $299 when it launches later this year, according to a report WiiUDaily has received (from the same source that brought us the Wii U system specs rumor). Nintendo will price the Wii U at $299 in the US, 299 Euro in Europe, and at 20,000 Yen in Japan, which comes in at around $250 USD. No word on Wii U software pricing.

Considering that the Wii U will initially only compete against the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which can be had for $200 and $250, respectively, it’s not surprising that Nintendo will price the Wii U aggressively. They almost have to. Sony and Microsoft will reportedly release their next-gen consoles in 2013.

The Wii U price will be they key issue when Nintendo launches the console later this year. Both Microsoft and Sony are expected to lower the price of their consoles in response to the Wii U.

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Hmm… I’d like to believe this. $299 seems like the ideal price for what’s rumored to be packed into the system and the controller (then again, I’ve been lurking on the neogaf Wii U speculation thread, so I know just how much the rumor can fluctuate, lol) It’s certainly an aggressive price. I don’t see Nintendo making much, if any money on each box sold. I also don’t see them losing a lot either. All things considered, unless Wii U turns out to be a secret beast of a machine, this seems like the smart price to set it at.

The only reason I’m hesitant to believe it is that it seems unlikely that a third party leaker would be able to get their hands on that information. The target price of the system (much like the rumored name change) seems like something that only the top brass at Nintendo would be aware of, and even now, with dev kits reportedly still very much in flux, I’m not sure even they would have a solid figure in mind.

The only scenario in which I can see a source learning about the price ahead of time, is if Nintendo is trying to convince third party leaders to jump on board by assuring them that this system will be priced so as to fly off shelves in its first year, creating a sizable installed base very quickly. From there loose lips, well, they keep us entertained. 🙂

It doesn’t sound like the Nintendo we know, but then, since Iwata took over, the Big N has made some big changes. First in its design philosophy and then in its attitude towards third parties. I guess we’ll see if this is true or not in the end.

For me, E3 cannot come soon enough. Hopefully we get something, anything to tide us over during GDC. I trust we can count on WiiUDaily to bring us leaked info on that Crytek Demo that’s supposedly going on behind closed doors, eh guys?

angel

C’mon, if Nintendo Wii U really it’s going to be “much more powerful than the actual HD consoles” according with the developers that are working with the latest dev kits of the console, i really don’t think that Nintendo’s going to sell it so cheap…
Anyway, maybe this can be true, because Nintendo already state that they don’t want to make the same errors of 3DS with the Wii U, now we just need to wait to see what happens (E3).

Seems like a fair price point considering the tech isn’t really new whatsoever. Nintendo didn’t go for a powerful HD console in 2006 because such tech was expensive and would be sold at a loss, akin to the PS3 and Xbox 360. Nintendo is known for releasing tech at great prices, tech that’s already been circulated enough to make it cheap to manufacture.

Anthony

PS1 was $300, PS2 was $300, Xbox was $300, Xbox 360 was $300/$400. All of those systems were very different in terms of power, yet they all launched at the same price point.

Charlie

Well, I think that if the Wii U comes out at $300, I will be happy. This is around £190 in England, so it’ll be easy to buy. This is the expected price, and I shall save up for it.

bob

I think up to $400 would be okay but this price would be a dream come true!

Guest

I doubt the price would be any higher than $400, honestly. They’re trying to compete, and they are already behind.

A $300 pricetag would be nice, but I wouldn’t doubt if it was a tad bit higher in the final outcome.

Reeses

With sales like theirs they aren’t behind anyone.

ND92

Remember, Nintendo fumbled the 3DS. They’re going to take a loss this time, I’m sure

WiiU 3DS

whaat da 3ds is awsome…

Dan

Nothing much wrong with the 3DS and its awesome i really enjoy using it

Sprat

Yeah it is, but it took them forever to come out with new games after the earthquake/flood/power plant thing. So a lot of people who had the 3DS had to wait quite (did i spell “quite” right?) a while.The 3D looks horrible if you are trying to watch someone over their shoulder.

Denise

THE PS3 IS COOL AND THE WII IS OK BUT THE XBOX 360 IS YOUR BEST BET BECAUSE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD MUSIC AND LISTEN TO IT WHILE YOUR PLAYING AND THE GRAPHICS ARE REALLY GOOD YOU CAN DOWNLOAD GAMES TOO Was this answer heuplfl?

Fbt

Of course it is:D

sizzly s

I think Sony did worse with the Vita

Dilara

i live in australia and i got one from santa and my mum got me an oufitt you know what you could do? you could ask for one for your birthday or christmas and the you pay for shipping and they pay for the doll . there really great quality

james braselton

hi there yeah only $299 roomers of $399 but i don’t care i just want too buy wii you for wii u 6.5 inch touch screen controler

random WII U LOVER

i would pay $599.00 JUST TO SHOW OFF MY FRIENDS AND MAKE THEM SAY “i hate you and your dog im leaving and never coming back” 4 weeks later “hey im sorry and I GOT A WIIU ” than nintendo thanks me gives me cash because i told my friend to buy a WIIU and i tod my friend to. VERY likly story huh but to be serius i would spend 600 bucks

rob

I would have absolutly no problem paying an extra $100-$150 as long as it is worth the money and i dont regret it in a years time when sony and microsoft release there consoles.i liked the wii when it first came out but the novelty wore off and i ended up with a 360 as well i just dont wont this to happen again.

Kross

I have been a nintendo fan forever, but if it hits 600$, i do not think i would buy it. I would keep my wii, and then i will buy a PS3 for 200$ and be happy with that. I mean with the economy in such a downfall, what makes people think that 600$ is a fair price. The economy and the people are not ready for a system that will cost a fortune, not until we as a country pick back up

Well take a look at the price for little phones and laptops. It makes $600 seem like a normal price to pay. That was one problem with the PS3 at it’s launch and why it didn’t sell good until the price was lowered to that of the 360. I also agree that the economy is terrible if the best job Rainbow Dash could get was grinding fillies into rainbows while wearing mexican wrestler masks.

Basir Miah

will the wii u come with a game like the wii witch came with wii sports resort.

SuperMario

Wii U have alot space I think it is 768GB

Anthony

Yeah ok. Where did you get that from?

Sammah

HAHAHAHAH XD Dude, that’s RAM, not HDD memory.

Dan

hahaha i’m with you Sammah that was funny yeah its the Ram memory

Steventelation

Megabites, and RAM, it doesn’t even have a hard drive. But I understand you, I am not a great tech expert either

That sounds about right, considering all the technology inside the console and controller. I sure do hope so, ’cause I’d like to buy one of these!

BRIAN

Well the original price of the Wii when it was first released in the UK was £180, that must have been around $290 in America, (correct me if I’m wrong).
To say that all the features are improved; better graphics, faster processors, more memory, a new controller and still compatibility with old Wii games and devices – a price tag that near enough matches the original Wii selling price is something of a miracle in my view.

Arthur

The Wii was $250 in America when it launched

Steventelation

Except that technology has advanced, so it’s cheaper to make than it was in 2006. In two years, it will be even less expensive to make than it is now, so it’s not much of a miracle. For example, I bought a portable DVD player about three years age for 150 dollars. I look in target now, and a better version with more battery life and all that is selling for only 100 dollars. And in the future, even better versions of the portable DVD player will sell for the same price.

zach

thats 200 dollars more drop 100 dollars

alex

ummm well that is not that bad actualy so suck on that sony and microsoft

Reeses

Imagine Nintendo releases it at 200$. That’s checkmate right there on the gaming market.

kamkid

sorry, bogus.
Game consoles are always more expensive in japan.

Meliza Luna

Can you play gamecube games on the Wii U?

name

are you an idiot?
e3 happened and you don’t know

Steventelation

Hey man not all people know even obvious facts about the wii u, especially if u didn’t watch e3. Just be nice.

Keroppi luver

Of course u can’t play gamecube on this if u look on the the console there’s no spot for the controler plus, game cube is from 10 years ago its too old. Wii games and Wii remotes will be compatible with this amazing system tho

Chris

why is it that the wii u is $299 but in Australia they want $598 what the hell………..

Meliza Luna

I’m hungry for a Wii U! Why is the launch date so far from now? If I don’t get a Wii U for Christmas, I will turn into a zombie! Ahhhh!

Paul

im sure nintendo said something about playing wii, gamecube game discs on the wii u console

Nintendo Brony

$299 or $250 are a definate buy for me but I want to get it before the end of christmas this year or I will be SORELY dissapointed…

Enigma

I find it hilarious that the link to this article on the top of the site forgets the “?”

Wii u rocks

200 – 250$ wold be nice. At a price like that my parents will get me one for Christmas. And it is way better than any ps3 so suck that all you ps3 fans.

NintendoFan

I agree with you all the way but I think $300 is the ideal price (Anything above that would be kind of ridiculous 🙂

Skunk Shampoo

I’d pay 300 for the Wii U and hook it up next to my PS3.

Nintendo Land looks amazing. I’m also interested in what Nintendo will be doing with the Mii-verse.

One thing is for sure, the tablet controller would be great for creative games.

No need to chose one system or the other though. Why not play both.

Wii u rocks

U can’t play gamecube games on the wii u

person

you can on virtual console

Nick

Will wii u be $299 for real? What games will be available for the release day and what is the release date for the wii u?

NintendoFan

Most rumors say it’s gonna be $300 except for Walmart which says they’re gonna sell it for $350 (that’s the highest I would ever pay in this economy!)

Umm… the Xbox 360 was 500 bucks and the PS3 was 600 bucks (When they first came out).

Nintendo all teh way

So, basically Nintendo is trolling Sony and Microsoft by making their (most likely expensive) new consoles forced to be lowered in price.

sony go byby

so much for save money live better walmart

drunkengamepersonmajig

i agree with sony go byby

Amy

I wan’t it to be cheaper, £110 pounds then i would buy it like in 10 secs

Steventelation

Unless there is a line in the store……………..

junker181

230 would be just amazing cuz after a yer to two of selling it get a price drop to around 200 or 190 and id get one then but if i can does mi stufs rights imma get one a year after it comes out nintendo has done good very good with this console

Eric

I really hope its $299 and if it is, its totally worth it!

GAMERS

i hope $299or$300 i think is a good price,$600(oh my god)

Ben

I really really hope for 250.

2 + 2

With the cost of some of the recent games, I don’t see how many families with kids wouldn’t think twice about purchasing at the $400 price point. $300– much more reasonable.

Some guy

Guys guys don’t talk about not caring if the price goes over 300! if nintendo sees this website then they will raise the price!

VideoGameFreako

The WiiU is $299 people!Get over it.

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